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XXe.NEWSLETTER XXNo 13. iiiiiJune 13, 2011 XXFighting for public green space in West Dulwichixiixxiix

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xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxx x x x Above: May 9, 2011. Dog roses (Rosa canina) in the hedgerow habitat of theXX Lakeside Wildlife Walk. Left: May 16, 2011. Yellow flag iris (Iris pseudacorus)XX in the spiral ditch (located where the Wildlife Walk meets the wetland area).

Orange RockCorps volunteer days. X x x x x xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

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Orange sponsors work days on which volunteers can earn non-XX transferable tickets for a concert in return for giving four hours of theirXX time and effort to a community cause. Last year, we had theXbenefitXX of two work days, and this year there were planned a total of fourXX work days in June and two in July. In the event, the June 6 workXdayXX was cancelled, but a great deal of useful work was carried out.

Some volunteers assisted the New Leaf gardening project beside WestXX Dulwich Station. Those in Belair Park concentrated on re-laying pathsXX through the Lakeside Wildlife Walk and wetland area, in cutting backXX brambles, and helping to re-design the southern (West Dulwich) endXX of the Walk.

The value of brambles to ecosystems shouldXX not be under-rated. They provide cover andXX food for many species. There are manyXX controlled bramble patches on the WildlifeXX Walk, and most of these protect wood pilesXX which provide excellent habitats forXX invertebrates. Sadly, two rather magnificentXX unmanaged patches beside open sectionsXofXX the lakeside had expanded so far that theyXX hadXbegun to obscure lines of sight to a postXX for aXlife-saver ring, benches and the waterXX itself. There wereXcogent healthXand safetyXX reasons for taking these bramblesXback, andXX the work alsoXrescued small trees that hadXX beenXswallowed up. TheXphoto left showsXX one such patch, and the eroded state of theXX path running in front of it. X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

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Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx x x x x x xxxxxxxx June 1, 2011: Building up paths.

This was a sunny day that turned cloudy towardsXX evening. A large pile of woodchips from tree workXX was provided by arboriculturalists Gristwood & Toms,XX and a rather small group of volunteers, just fifteenXX rather than the fifty or sixty expected, re-laid pathsXX with determination. The work session ran from 4 pmXX to 8 pm. Afterwards the volunteers claimed theirXX tickets for the concert, and Vinnie O'Connell handedXX out leaflets about the New Leaf botanical project.

Images: M. J. Heath.

The photographerXX working with OrangeXX RockCorp for theXX June 1, 2 & 9 2011XX events was JodieXX Taylor. Her websiteXX address is:xxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx x www.jodietaylor.co.uk

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx June 2, 2011: Work onXX paths and brambles.

The afternoon of June 2 beganXX withXXunpromising cloudiness,XX but becameXsunny later. TheXX volunteer force was of moreXX normal size than that of theXX dayXbefore and several tens ofXX volunteers turned up. OneXX team assisted the New LeafXX gardening project across theXX road at West Dulwich Station.XX Others continued to build upXX the paths beside the lake, andXX another tackled the areas withXX unmanagedXbrambles.

XXAbove & right: A life-saver post XXand the lakeside appear from XXbehind foliage as volunteers cut XXback brambles. The new clear XXviews will aid public safety. XXLarge quantities of brambles XXhave been retained, however, XXand logs now mark the edge of XXthe patch. Future management XXwork will seek to contain the XXbrambles by regular trimming.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xx Above: Volunteers tackle denseXX brambles which had overgrown theXX southern end of the Lakeside WildlifeXX Walk.

Left: Here, not only had bramblesXX overwhelmedXa wildflower bank andXX ditch, butXthey were also reducingXX visibility to and from watersideXX benches. Once again, a publicXsafetyXX issue had to be addressed.Xx x x xx x xxxxx x x x x x xx

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Elsewhere along the lakeside, the hard work of shovelling piles of wood chippings into wheel barrows, delivering them to the paths and raking them down, continued. This task is of particular importance in the wetland area. Here, in the winter, groundwater rises to the surface, and there are pools and boggy patches. Thicker layers of bark on the paths should allow visitors to cross this area whilst keeping their feet dry.

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x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x Above and left: Organiser Doug GillenXX supervising volunteers, and closing the day'sXX proceedings with a short speech from theXX top of the wood chippings pile. AfterXX returning the tools to the van, volunteersXX collected their concert tickets.

The Committee, Friends of Belair Park.xxxxXX friendsbelairpark(at)hotmail.co.uk x x x x x Tel: 020 8670 8924

WEATHER REVIEW: From May 1 to May 5 BritainXX was subject to strong easterly winds associatedXX with a large blocking anticyclone in the Arctic,XX followed by southerly winds between May 6 andXX May 10, due to a deep depression W of Ireland. AXX low pressure area then sat NW of Scotland. TheXX greatest maximum temperature at a standardXX site was 25.4oC at Weybourne in Norfolk (May 7)XX and the lowest minimum was -6.3oC atXX Altanharra,Sunderland (May 4). For SE EnglandXX (compared with the 1971-2000 norm), the meanXX max temperature was 2.2oC higher and the meanXX min temperature was 1.2oC higher. Rainfall wasXX just 48% (although this was not outlandish; overXX England and Wales taken together, the lastXX century saw 31 Mays that were drier and 69 thatXX were wetter). Note that whilst the totalXX estimated rainfall for England and Wales was 49XX mm, just 4 mm was recorded at Manston in Kent.XX Sunshine was 123% (but again, for England andXX Wales, the last century saw 45 sunnier and 55XX less sunny Mays).x x x x x x xxxx x x x x x x x x x x x xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Source: Philip Eden, online MeteoGroup weather review. x x x x x

Above: Belair Park, May 19, 2011.x x x x x x xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx x x

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